Recipe: Family-Secret Greek Meatballs by Kafeneion, Melbourne’s Greek Dining Hotspot

These soft, juicy, aromatic little meatballs are a staple in every Greek home; every region and every family has their own take on the recipe. Served as a meze or teamed with a side of fresh tzatziki, a salad and some fresh crusty bread, you have a main meal.

Like with so many Greek dishes, there always seems to be an argument over whose family recipe is the best (another reason to pour yourself a glass of ouzo), and there’s always a secret that is never to be shared – even if the real secret to Greek cooking is always to use high-quality local produce that’s in season.

Obviously, though, we think co-owner Con Christopoulos’s mum’s keftedes are the absolute best. Thankfully, she agreed to share her secrets (and for us to serve them at Kafeneion).

Kafeneion’s Greek keftedes (meatballs)

Makes 40 meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices of white bread
500g beef mince
250g pork mince
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra (optional) to serve
4 eggs
12g salt
Plain flour, for dusting
Olive oil (we use good-quality Greek olive oil), for shallow-frying, plus extra to serve
Juice of 2 lemons
Dried oregano, to serve

Method

Soak the bread in a bowl filled with 150ml water for a few seconds. Squeeze out the excess, then place it in a separate bowl. Add the beef and pork mince, followed by the onion, garlic, parsley and eggs, then sprinkle with the salt. (Using bread instead of breadcrumbs makes the keftedes softer and juicier. You can use all-beef mince, but the pork mince adds both fat and flavour. If you do use all-beef mince, add 1tbsp of olive oil to replace the fat.)

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands for about 5 minutes, making sure everything is well combined.

Spread the flour on a large plate or baking tray. Using a tablespoon, scoop up balls of mince, shaping them into small balls (about 30g each) with your hands. Lightly dust each meatball in flour to coat it evenly. (Excess flour can make the keftedes burn, so coat them lightly, then dust off the excess.)

Heat 2cm of oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat, add the keftedes in small batches and shallow-fry for about 4 minutes each side until golden. Drain on paper towel and repeat with the remaining keftedes. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, for even cooking and a golden exterior.

Divide the keftedes among plates, squeeze over some lemon juice to taste, sprinkle with dried oregano (or extra fresh parsley) and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

This is an edited extract from the Broadsheet cookbook The New Classics , which features 80 all-new recipes by Melbourne’s best restaurants. Published by Plum, the book is available for $54.99 at shop.broadsheet.com.au.